Mercedes locked out the top two with Russell leading Antonelli, confirming early pace advantage. Norris and Piastri kept McLaren in the fight in P3 and P4. Leclerc was the faster Ferrari in P5, with Hamilton struggling down in P6. Verstappen could only manage P8 on a difficult day for Red Bull, further highlighted by Lindblad’s retirement. Pérez ended last in P22 on his Cadillac debut.
Result Free Practice 1 — Chinese GP, Shanghai
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇬🇧George Russell | Mercedes | 1:32.748 | S |
| 2 | 🇮🇹Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:32.981 | S |
| 3 | 🇬🇧Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:33.208 | S |
| 4 | 🇦🇺Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:33.472 | S |
| 5 | 🇲🇨Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:33.599 | S |
| 6 | 🇬🇧Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:34.129 | S |
| 7 | 🇬🇧Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:34.428 | S |
| 8 | 🇳🇱Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:34.548 | S |
| 9 | 🇩🇪Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 1:34.639 | S |
| 10 | 🇫🇷Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:34.676 | S |
| 11 | 🇳🇿Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:34.773 | S |
| 12 | 🇧🇷Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:34.828 | S |
| 13 | 🇫🇷Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:34.856 | S |
| 14 | 🇫🇷Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:34.877 | M |
| 15 | 🇦🇷Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:34.947 | S |
| 16 | 🇹🇭Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:35.480 | M |
| 17 | 🇪🇸Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:35.679 | M |
| 18 | 🇪🇸Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:35.858 | M |
| 19 | 🇫🇮Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:36.057 | M |
| 20 | 🇨🇦Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:37.224 | M |
| 21 | 🇬🇧Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:37.896 | M |
| 22 | 🇲🇽Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | 1:39.200 | M |
